My name is Zacchaeus. I’m the Chief Tax Collector for the city of Jericho. One day I heard that Jesus and His disciples were approaching the city of Jericho. I’ve heard much about Jesus, both His miracles and His teachings. From the moment I heard of His approach, something inside me longed to see Him.
I positioned myself along the road where He would pass; but, when I saw the crowd around Him, I knew I stood little chance of actually seeing Jesus, because I’m not very tall. But, if I go ahead and climb up a tree, I’ll be able to look down and see Him.
The plan worked perfectly; but, something happened that I didn’t anticipate. When Jesus was directly under the tree where I was, He looked up and saw me. He didn’t just see me, He stared at me…long enough that I felt like He was looking inside of me. Then, He spoke…to me. “Zacchaeus,” He said, “Come down here immediately. I want to stay at your house!” As I hurried down the tree, I felt an excitement that I had never known. And when I reached Him, words came out of my mouth as if I were someone else speaking. I said, “I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor. If I’ve cheated anybody, I’ll repay them four times the amount.” He saw me…and I feel like a changed person.
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